Bittersweet
by Eumoirous
Summary: Every morning Cordelia had a habit of waking up earlier than everyone else. Often she would be caught watching the sun rise. However, after the battle with Priam her husband-Gaius, woke up early just to spend time with his beloved wife. He made it clear that he is willing to share the bitterness in her heart and the sweetness of himself with her.


Hellooooo everybody~ So this is my first time writing a Fire Emblem fanfiction! Anyways, this takes place after Priam's Paralogue and before the battle with Grima so spoilers are included! This is in which Gaius and Cordelia has an S-Support so if you don't like that ship please leave right now.  
**Word count:** 1291  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fire Emblem: Awakening, it is owned by Nintendo. This is completely non-profit and I, in no way own any of the characters. The only thing I own is my writing.

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The atmosphere by the west of the Demon's Ingle was indeed pleasant. However, despite all the effort everybody had put into battling Priam's troops, Cordelia was still up early as per usual. It was a routine for her to wake up earlier than everyone else just so she could make breakfast for eager people like Stahl, who was more or less a little too enthusiastic about the first meal of the day.

She sat on the ground, admiring the sun as it inches out slowly. Ah, what a beautiful place. The trees dancing to the rhythm of the breeze, the amber glow upon the lake surfaces as it reflected her visage ever so clearly. A visible grin was bestowed upon her lips. It was solitary moments like this that she had enjoyed the most. Times like these allowed her to have an empty and relaxed mind.

The sun was nowhere near half raised into the sky yet. Usually she waited for it to be at least halfway up in the air before preparing for everyone's breakfast. Some people never understood why she did this, most people didn't even know that she was the one making everybody's favourite meals to help raise spirit—of course, those who do are forever grateful of her actions. Breezes came trickling across her fair skin before she closed her eyes, wishing to infuse herself with Mother Nature.

Tap,_ tap_.

Footsteps came from not too far away. Her eyes immediately shot open before jumping up, pulling her lance in her head. Cordelia immersed herself into the en garde position. She then pointed her weapon towards the direction of the footsteps.

"Who goes—Gaius?" Her weapon dropped immediately as she spotted the orange headed thief walking out. He had his usual demeanor on but those two were married. A smile crept upon her lips at the sight of the man who had proposed to her.

"Woah woah sweetheart," he approached her before taking her face into his hand lightly and then giving her a chaste kiss, a smirk came across his lips. "It's just me."

Cordelia flushed from both embarrassment and his sudden show for affection. That was right, they were married. Couples did things like that a lot didn't they? Why would she be so taken aback by greeting kisses from a man whom she would call her husband? She often wondered about that question to herself, maybe it was the fact that her heart didn't completely belong to Gaius yet. Perhaps that was the reason.

"Well you're up early," Cordelia noted with a hint of surprise yet sounding amused, taking a seat on the grassy field once again. She watched as he took a seat right next to her while the smile on her face widened slightly.

"Just for you, sweetheart," he laid a kiss on her cheek, giving her a soft grin. "Just curious about the life of Cordelia, the barber and nanny of the Shepherds."

"Well, you're early for that too. I'm just going to watch the sunrise until it's time to begin my job," she noted in a serious tone before eyeing her husband—who obviously looked too bored to even care about the nonsense she was babbling. That angered her in the slightest manner. Her eyebrows narrowed until Gaius' gloved finger tapped on her forehead gently.

"Sweetheart, you work too hard. Wouldn't want you to die out on a job now would I?" He took a lollipop and placed it in his mouth. "Also, if you die from overworking how would Severa be born?"

That comment elicited the reddest flush Cordelia had ever given to anybody. She jerked her body back from Gaius. Maybe she was overthinking but perhaps not—ignoring that last comment. He did have a point, too bad his wife was a bit of a workaholic.

"If I'm not up early then no one would be willing to do the job," Cordelia sighed before continuing, "Raising the team spirit is far too important to my problems honestly. The Shepherds are going to go into war with Grima, the fallen dragon and I should do my best to raise everyone's spirit as much as possible—"

Gaius bit the candy off of the stick of his lollipop before kissing Cordelia's lips. She was caught off guard; her fists were tightened along with a tense body. However, not too long later she gave in, allowing her body to relax as she closed her eyes, melting into his lips. She could smell his fragrance, the scent of sugar mixed with a hint of soap—she smiled into his lips, he took a shower last day. Arms wrapping around his neck, he proceeded to push her on the ground as he entwined his fingers into her the gaps of in between each one of her digits.

His tongue brushed against her bottom lip. She shivered at the sensation before letting her instincts take over her. A small gap was formed as she pulled the orange head closer to her. Gaius gave her another brush on the bottom lip before she parted her lips even more than before. It wasn't long until he let his tongue into her mouth; he placed the remaining from his strawberry flavoured lollipop on her tongue. He parted her lips with a few pants.

"The reason why I married you and not anybody else is because I want to share the sweet moments with you and help you carry on the bitterly difficult moments. I wanted to vow to you that you'll never have to be alone, Cordelia."

His lips landed on hers chastely again.

"As long as I'm here, you don't ever have to be alone. I love you, Cordelia—my sweetheart." He smiled before brushing his hand along her hair whilst entangling his fingers into her red locks. "I'm no Chrom but," he pulled her hand that had the ring on to his hand. "This is a symbol for my commitment to you. Don't ever think you have to face all your troubles alone again, sweetheart."

Cordelia averted her gaze before biting her lip. She suckled her breath sharply. The tears were close to coming out of her eyes—no, she couldn't cry. Not now, not in front of him—but they were already hanging on the rim of her eyes. Her eyes closed momentarily before she felt his lips kissing on her eyelids.

"Gaius," she sniffled. "I'm so glad to have someone like you in my life!"

Guilt had flooded her beyond how she normally felt. After all, she knew Gaius loved her and she loved him too. However, she loved Chrom more. Every day he would be her waking thought, every morning she found herself consumed in self loathe and hate. Gaius deserved better—a person who would be able to share her heart with him, not a woman who couldn't even control her little school girl feelings.

"Hey now," he kissed her ring before pulling her into a gentle embrace. "I'm happy that I won you over everyone else. After this war is over, we can go on our first date. How does that sound?"

"I would be thrilled to do that Gaius… Let's do our best for the next week and defeat Grima once and for all." She smiled softly while brushing his orange bangs away. Her smile was sad but at the same time, she attempted to hide her inner sorrow.

Oh how could a man like him fall for her…? He deserved so much better. Cordelia prayed to Naga that one day she would move on from Chrom and love Gaius above all others. After this war, she wanted to make sure the Severa in the future would have a happier childhood. Hopefully that day wouldn't take too long to come.


End file.
